The Perfect Gift
by Tinkerbell3902
Summary: The holidays are closing in on Johnny and Lulu and they have yet to find the perfect gifts for each other. JoLu fluff. One-Shot.


**A/N:** Since I don't have my laptop and can't get to my outline for Requiem, I thought that I'd treat you all to a little holiday inspired JoLu one-shot… meaning extreme fluff :) And for the 99.9% of you who don't know, the song I used is "All I Want for Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey… so with that being said, enjoy!

**The Perfect Gift**

Lulu shook her golden curls as she walked into the lobby of the MetroCourt hotel, trying to get the snow out of her hair. At least it actually snowed in time for Christmas, she thought. Her arms were aching because she was carrying at least twenty pounds of Christmas gifts in five shopping bags. Of course she did her Christmas shopping last minute and she had to search every single corner of every store to find gifts for everyone. She managed to make it to the couches in the lobby when she was accosted by Maxie Jones.

"There you are! I've been calling you for forty-five minutes!!" Maxie cried.

"Sorry, the lines at the stores were insane…" Lulu panted.

"You're doing your Christmas shopping now? God, Lulu… there's this little thing called the internet and you can order everything in November and have it shipped to your house like everyone else does and then you wouldn't be late to work… **again**… and then Kate wouldn't chew me out about things being behind schedule… **again**!" Maxie ranted.

"Fine then, you don't get your present…" Lulu taunted but Maxie's face immediately changed.

"Wait… you got me a present? Seriously?" Maxie asked, peering at the bags but Lulu quickly covered up the bags with her jacket.

"No peeking! I think I got everyone… I got a customized picture frame for Carly… a new knit hat for Spinelli… scarves for Aunt Bobbie, Elizabeth and Tracy… a few CDs for Lucky… your gift which shall remain nameless but is fabulous if I do say so myself… and sweaters for Nikolas, Morgan, and my dad…" Lulu prattled off.

"Don't tell me you bought Johnny a hideous sweater too…" Maxie laughed.

"He's the only person that I couldn't find a gift for… I mean, what do you get the guy who owns watches that cost the same as our rent? And this is our first Christmas together… I want it to be perfect…" Lulu sighed, flopping down on one of the couches.

"Well, have you asked him what he wants?" Maxie asked.

"He said to 'surprise him'..." Lulu groaned.

"Ugh, I hate it when people say that…well, what's your spending limit?" Maxie asked.

"Fifty dollars… since he left his family, he doesn't want to spend a lot of money…" Lulu said.

"Well, Johnny doesn't strike me as someone who'd be into things…" Maxie said.

"I'm open for suggestions…" Lulu said, completely out of ideas.

"As much as I love seeing you defeated, I'm going to help you… so… let's see… did he give you any hints?" Maxie asked.

"He gave me that super cheesy bit about all he wants for Christmas is me…" Lulu said.

Lulu looked over and saw a smile curve across Maxie's face. It was definitely one of those lightbulb moments. Maxie grabbed her purse in one hand and Lulu's arm in another.

"Come on! We have a lot of work to do…" Maxie said.

"But my bags!" Lulu cried.

Maxie quickly flagged down Marty, the chief of staff of the MetroCourt hotel, and asked him to have Lulu's bags sent up to the Crimson offices. Marty nodded and they all watched as a nearby bellhop took all of Lulu's bags into the elevator, headed upstairs to the office.

"See? Your clearance rack sweaters will be safe…" Maxie laughed and Lulu rolled her eyes.

"Where are we going?" Lulu asked.

"We're going to make you into Johnny's perfect Christmas present…" Maxie said with a devilish smirk on her face.

* * *

He was so screwed.

Johnny stood in front of the jewelry store, wanting to walk in and pick out a super expensive necklace for Lulu's Christmas present. His American Express card was just staring at him, taunting him to use it. He sighed heavily and shoved the credit card back into his wallet. Truthfully, he didn't miss the Zacchara money… he just missed being the boyfriend that could give his girlfriend gifts that would never make her stop smiling. He turned away from the window of the jewelry store and walked along the cobblestone pathway, looking into each store, trying to figure out what to do.

"Greetings, mob prince!"

Johnny looked up and saw Spinelli cheerfully smiling at him, a few shopping bags in his hands.

"Hey, Spinelli… finishing up your holiday shopping?" Johnny asked, pointing at the bags.

"Oh yes! I think I finally found the perfect gift for the Fair Maximista… a vintage locket from the twenties and I'm going to put a picture of the wise Georgie inside…" Spinelli said.

"Very thoughtful…" Johnny muttered, frustrated with his own failed attempt to find something for Lulu.

"I'm sure that the blonde one will be very pleased with whatever you have purchased for her… a diamond necklace, a new car, a Caribbean vacation…" Spinelli went on and Johnny chuckled.

"Haven't you heard? I left the Zaccharas and everything that goes with it… so sadly, I have a very strict budget this year…" Johnny said.

"Have you gotten a gift for the fair Lulu yet?" Spinelli asked.

"Not yet… I've been out here trying to look for something since this afternoon…" Johnny said, looking up to the now pitch black sky.

"Well… I'm sure that she will be most pleased with whatever you get her… but if you do find yourself stuck… might I suggest the bookstore down the street? It's the blond one's favorite…" Spinelli said.

Johnny smiled and thanked Spinelli before he departed to probably try and find something for Jason. Johnny laughed at the image of Jason unwrapping a bright red holiday sweater from Spinelli. Johnny took Spinelli's advice and headed towards the bookstore. Once inside, he strolled lazily up and down the aisles, looking for anything that caught his eye. Lulu's taste in books was all over the place so it made it impossible to figure out what kind of book she would like. He soon found himself in the section of the store where they sold journals and notebooks. Most of them were flowery and pink, which he knew she detested but right then his eyes fell to a beautiful burgundy journal with tan pages. His mind began to wander, thinking of ways of turning this journal into the perfect gift for Lulu. As if struck by lightening, he knew exactly what he was going to do.

_Maybe he wasn't screwed after all…_

* * *

"I can't believe that you talked me into this…"

Maxie looked up at Lulu and tried hard not to laugh. She'd come up with some good ideas in the past but this was just pure genius. Lulu shot Maxie an icy glare but Maxie couldn't help but to laugh harder.

"I'm sorry… I'm not laughing at the way you look… you look fine… in fact, I think I've outdone myself this time…" Maxie said, triumphantly.

"Easy for you to say… you're not dressed up in this ridiculous get up!" Lulu hissed.

"Come on, Scrooge! Lighten up! He's going to love it…" Maxie said.

Lulu groaned and a knock came at the door. Maxie trotted across the deserted ballroom of the MetroCourt and opened the door to reveal Carly.

"I'm supposed to be at home with Morgan right now since it's Christmas eve but as soon as you told me what you and Lulu were doing, I had to come see for myself…" Carly chuckled as she walked right into the ballroom.

Carly's eyes fell to her cousin and she howled with laughter, making Lulu blush bright red. Lulu quickly picked up her leather jacked and hid behind it.

"Oh come on, honey! It's cute! I'm sorry for laughing… Johnny's going to love it…" Carly said, trying to take Lulu's jacket from her.

"See! I told you!" Maxie giggled.

"You really are a genius…" Carly said to Maxie.

"Thank you," Maxie said, admiring her handiwork.

"So, is he on his way?" Carly asked.

"Yeah, he said that he'll be here in thirty minutes… he said that he had to put the finishing touches on my gift…" Lulu said.

"Aww… looks like you're going to be getting a macaroni collage this year like me!" Carly laughed.

"Alright… stop taking cheap shots in the girl in the ridiculous costume… Carly, do you have the key?" Lulu asked.

"Here you go… you know how everything works in here right?" Carly asked, handing Lulu a room key.

"Yeah, the tech guys explained everything… the lights are automatic and the microphone works too…" Maxie said.

"I still can't believe that you're going to do this…" Carly said, smiling.

"Me neither…" Lulu exhaled.

"Alright… I have to run… and Lulu? Don't worry about it… I think that Johnny will be pleasantly surprised with what you've come up with…" Carly said.

Lulu walked both Maxie and Carly to the door. The butterflies in her stomach were raging. She had no idea what she was getting herself into with this ridiculous gesture. Surely, Johnny would see how awkward she was and she wouldn't blame him for breaking up with her but as Maxie said… sometimes you had to not take yourself so seriously and after the last few months that they had, they both could've used some good old-fashioned fun. Before turning away from the door, Maxie gave one more gloss over of her work and smirked.

"Have fun…" Maxie giggled.

* * *

Johnny stepped out of the elevator and onto the fifth floor where Lulu had asked him to meet her. His hands were in his pockets as he found his way down to the ballroom. He pushed the door open to find it completely empty and dimly lit. There were white candles everywhere and sitting in the middle of the room was a red armchair and a small end table with a small wrapped box. He chuckled to himself and made his way down the steps, taking off his winter coat along the way. Anxious, he picked up the small box and opened it. Inside was a piece of paper, no larger than a business card, which read:

_Call for me when you're ready…_

His eyes looked up towards a small stage that he'd never seen in this ballroom before. Amused, he sat down in the chair, almost bracing himself for what was in store next.

"Lulu? Are you there?" he called out into the dark stage, going along with this game that they were playing.

Instantly, a bright spotlight came on, revealing Lulu. She was in a short red satin robe with matching stilettos. Her hair was in voluminous curls and a fuzzy red Santa hat sat delicately on top of her head. He swallowed hard as she slowly raised the microphone in her hand to her shocking red lips.

"I don't want a lot for Christmas…"

Oh. My. God.

"There is just one thing I need…"

She looked up at him, her dark and lustful eyes meeting his, and he suddenly lost the ability to breathe.

"I don't care about the presents… underneath the Christmas tree…"

He had to be dreaming… this was just too good to be true…

"I just want you for my own… more than you could ever know…"

Someone needed to check his pulse… surely he had died and gone to heaven…

"Make my wish come true… all I want for Christmas is you…" she sang as she raised one finger to point at him.

The music kicked in and Lulu shrugged off the robe, revealing a sinfully short red Santa skirt complete with white trim and a matching red bra, and he nearly fainted. She smiled, noticing his expression, and tossed the unnecessary robe off stage. He scooted to the edge of his seat as she proceeded to sing and dance along to the music. He was completely awestruck by her because of how incredibly sexy she looked and it wasn't because of her barely there ensemble. It had been a while since he had seen her so carefree. After everything that they had been through with Logan's death, going on the run, Shadybrook, his trial and their families trying to keep them apart, they hadn't had time to just be a couple. To see her smile, laugh and dance was the best gift that she could've given him this year. She made her way down the steps of the stage, her eyes still locked on him, and his eyes took notice of how her hips were swaying to the infectious beat of the song and her golden curls bounced around underneath her hat.

He had already come up with five different ways remove her little costume.

She finally finished the song, delicately sitting on his lap and giving him a kiss on his cheek. He knew that he probably had a huge red kiss mark on his cheek but he didn't mind.

_Everyone in the world should know that he belonged to this goddess that was sitting in his lap._

"Merry Christmas, Johnny…" she whispered.

"You… are…." He exhaled. Only Lulu Spencer could make him at a loss for words.

"Amazing? Gorgeous? The best girlfriend-slash-sexy Santa ever?" she laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Yes… you are all of those things… but you are **so** doing this every single year from now on…" he said and she giggled before pressing her lips to his.

* * *

Needless to say, they barely made it to the hotel room.

Johnny reached down to the floor, moving the skimpy little red skirt that had come off almost immediately after they stumbled into the room that Carly gave to them for the night out of the way. As soon as he shifted his weight in the bed, he felt her stir beside him.

"Come back…" Lulu murmured, wrapping her arms around his bare torso.

"I will… I just need to get you your Christmas present… it's somewhere around here…" he said as his hand searched the floor for the small wrapped package.

"I'm not done with you yet…" she whispered before kissing the back of his neck and his eyes almost rolled into the back of his head.

"Do you always get like this around the holidays?" he gasped.

"Only if I have a cute boy to share the holidays with…" she giggled.

He picked up her present and turned back around to face her. She immediately grabbed it like an excited child and jokingly shook it, trying to figure out what it was.

"Do I get a hint?" she asked.

"Well… don't get your hopes up that I'm going to don Christmas underwear and sing 'Santa Baby'…" he said and she laughed until her face turned pink.

"Damn… I'd really like to see that…" she laughed.

"Open it…" he said, motioning to the slim red package in her hand.

She raised an eyebrow and proceeded to rip open her gift.

"You got me a journal?" she asked.

"It's not really a journal…" he said.

"What is it?" she asked, her fingers running over the gold embossed 'J&L' in the bottom corner of the cover.

"Stop asking and just look inside…" he chuckled.

She flipped open the first page and gasped. Inside the book were pictures of the two of them. Pictures of them when they stayed up all night in his car looking at the stars on the bluffs right outside of town, the day they spent at the Quartermaine boathouse, and a ton of pictures of the two of them just goofing off in his old penthouse. Each page was lined with pictures and romantic quotes from poetry, music and movies and it was all handwritten… without a single crossed out word.

"You did all of this?" she asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Yeah… the funniest thing is that I've actually seen like eighty percent of these movies and I know all of these songs and poems…" he said.

"Every single quote is just… oh my god…" she breathed and he saw a glimmer of a tear in her eye.

"You like it?" he asked, putting his arm around her.

"Like it? Johnny, this is the most thoughtful gift I've ever received. Every time I look at a quote, I think it's my favorite until I read the next one… oh my god… 'You're the closest to heaven, I'll ever be…' That's gorgeous…" Lulu mused.

"One of my favorite songs… 'Iris' by the Goo Goo Dolls…" he said softly as he gently stroked her golden curls and she turned the page.

"What's the next one? 'My bounty is as deep as the sea… my love as deep; the more I give to thee… the more I have, for both are infinite…' Oh I love that one too…" she whispered.

"That one is Shakespeare… Romeo and Juliet, actually…" he said softly.

"How very appropriate…I can't believe you did all of this…" she said, looking up at him.

"I just wanted this Christmas to be special…" he said, delicately running his finger along her bottom lip.

"Which one's your favorite?" she asked.

He smiled and took the book from her. He knew exactly where it was. He quickly flipped to the very first page and she smiled when she saw the picture. She had taken the picture of their fingers intertwined with each other as they sat in the front seat of his vintage yellow Mustang, looking up at the stars.

"Read it for me…" she whispered, handing the slim book to him. He cleared his throat and began reading.

"When you fall in love, it is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake, and then it subsides. And when it subsides, you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots are become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part… Captain Corelli's Mandolin…" he said, closing the book as he finished reading.

Her forehead came to his and he closed his eyes as her hands cupped his face. Her delicate fingertips smoothed over his cheeks and he exhaled contently. Lying there with her, feeling her heart beating against his chest, he knew that this was it for him. There was no other woman who could make him feel like this. He was hers forever. He felt her fingertips brush over his lips and he kissed them softly. He opened his eyes and met her loving stare as she played with his hair.

"I love you, Johnny Zacchara…" she whispered, lacing her fingers with his.

"I love you too, Lulu Spencer…" he whispered right back.

He watched her eyes close and felt her snuggle into his chest. He kissed the top of her blond head and wrapped his arms around her. He loved how she instantly fell asleep in his arms as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He looked to the window, watching the snow fall gently and then back to Lulu's sleeping form.

**This was definitely the best Christmas ever…**


End file.
